Texas school districts are pulling out of that state's merit pay scheme, leaving only a third of the districts in the state participating, according to the Dallas Morning News. (Registration required.) The sticking point seems to be the matching requirement: local districts are afraid they will be forced to pick up the tab for the state program if state budgets get tight. It's a real concern: educators tend to be famously wary of fads that find budgetary favor one year, and disappear the next.
What struck me about the story though was this:
More than 100 school districts have changed their minds and dropped out of Texas' new merit pay plan for teachers – leaving just a third of the districts in the state to help launch the $148 million program next year.
The decision by so many districts to bail out of the plan – mostly because of financial concerns – means there will be more money for the districts that are staying in.
For example, the Dallas school district will get almost $1 million extra for a total of nearly $8.2 million.
Districts decide how to distribute the money, but the recommended minimum bonus is $3,000.
Look at that figure again: $148 million. Not breaking the bank in a state like Texas, but still plenty of money.
It's amazing how much money legislators can find for their ideological pet programs, isn't it?
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